Wednesday, May 6, 2015

I think one of the most interesting parts of “Trifles” was the time period it was released. It seems incredibly brave to release this kind of work, especially by a female writer out to the public during the early 1900s. Although it was released to a more informal and risqué theatre, “Trifles” still explored radical issues surrounding abuse and domestic violence.

In thinking about abuse and domestic violence, I realized that the topic was not something we really discussed all that much in women’s studies. Although many discussions we had focused on other issues of violence against women (trafficking, body shaming) I think we did not really ever have a full discussion about domestic violence. Just by that fact, one can see the “hush-hush” about domestic violence and abuse. Although both are issues definitely more talked about in our generation, I think there is still an element of apprehension to bring up the discussion of violence against women. Fact is, in our modern society, there is still discomfort discussing anything about sexuality.

Now how to get rid of this discomfort around discussions of sex and sexuality? Education. Something I’ve read in various locations phrases it well…why are we teaching girls how not to get raped, we should be teaching our boys not to rape. Genders/sexes aside, the message is clear. We should address problems like these at the root…children and their education/impressions of gender roles play an essential part in their behaviors as adults. It is our responsibility as feminists and advocates for youth to educate the public.